This one day event is held twice a year in the normally tranquil town of Stow-on-the-Wold in the Gloucestershire Cotswold’s, attracting gypsies and travellers from throughout the UK with a few travelling from Ireland. History has it that an abbot petitioned for the fairs in 1476, The charters were granted for May 12th and October 24th - the fest days of Saints Philip and James and Edward the Confessor and these dates are still used today. I spent the day there met some very interesting folk and learnt a bit more about Gypsy culture and traditions. Enjoy the photographs.
Category Archives: Photo Journals
Notting Hill Carnival 2009 - Childrens Day
Sunday is always Children and Family Day at the Notting Hill Festival. Come and see the fabulous youngsters all dressed up for the occassion and some teenagers with energy to spare!
The Purton Hulks Graveyard
Between 1909 and 1970 over fifty schooners, barges, and Severn trows were beached on the banks of the river Severn near the village of Purton in Gloucestershire in England in an attempt to stop further erosion following a severe storm in 1906. The vessels were tugged from Sheerness docks nearby on the Spring tides and pushed up onto the bank creating the largest boat graveyard on mainland Britain.
Birdman of Worthing 2009
The annual “Birdman” event is now held at Worthing on the West Sussex coast in Southern England, a few miles along the coast from it’s previous home at Bognor Regis. This post consists, mostly, of photographs of the “lovely loonies”, the courageous folk that dress up and throw themselves off the elevated pier into the English Channel to raise money for their favourite charities. God bless ‘em!
Threatened Giant Donkeys of Andalucia
In the heat of the Costa del Sol, just a few kilometers back from the holiday beaches Marlene and Steven Byrd are working tirelessly to save an endangoured species - The Giant Donkeys of Andalucia. Despite listing them as a “breed in danger of extinction” both the national goverment of Spain and the local government, the Junta de Andalucia, refuse to help both financially and in any practical way. Read about their heroic struggle against the odds and see photographs of these beautiful animals.
First Ashes Cricket Match in Cardiff
Someone said you should try everything once! I am not so sure about everything, but when I had the opportunity to buy tickets for the fifth and last day of the first Ashes Test Match to be held in Wales I just could not refuse. Fifth days can be a disaster, exciting or may not...
Summer Solstice at Stonehenge
When June comes around the Summer Solstice is never far from my thoughts.
This year was my fourth visit and I must say, unfortunately, the least enjoyable. Too many people, over 30,000 they say, overly aggressive security guards and an unmanned police drone flying around and annoying everyone. You would think the police had better things...
Leonard Cohen in Concert
In the Autumn of 2009 I had the great privilege of seing Leonard Cohen in concert twice within five days. You can read an account of this and see some of the photographs I took at the second concert in Bournemouth in Southern England.
African Demo at G20
I spent most of yesterday getting to and from London’s docklands to see what the demonstrators were up to at the G20 conference in the Excel Centre. There were several groups present but surprisingly few in total; The ban the bomb brigade doing a re-run of the 1960s and 70s, three African groups, a miscellany of cranks and a Buddhist monk - and more police than demonstrators.